Friday, 5 September 2014

We should try and spend as much
time as possible in the Masjid and as close as possible to the Roudha-e-Mubaarak,
sitting quietly, occupied in the recitation of Durood Sharief. We should think
that my Durood is:

1.)Saying Jazakumullah to Rasulullah
(Salallaahu alaihi wa sallam) for all his favours.

2.)Making Dua for Rasulullah
(Salallaahu alaihi wa sallam)

3.)Praising Rasulullah (Salallaahu alaihi wa sallam)

4.)And expressing love for Rasulullah
(Salallaahu alaihi wa sallam).

Durood
Sharief is a capsule which contains the Ibaadah of Shukr (appreciation), Hamd
(praise), Dua (supplication) and Muhabbat (Love).

We should keep in mind that Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi
wasallam) is not in need of our Durood Sharief. From our side, our Durood
Sharief is out of love, as well as seeking the great benefits of Durood
Sharief.

When at Roudha-e-Mubaarak, we
should also read the Kalimah Shahadah and request Rasulullah (Salallaahu alaihi
wa sallam) to give evidence on our behalf, that we had read the Kalimah.

When in Makkatul Mukarramah…

We should take advantage of the wonderful and cherished
opportunity to make Tawaafs. Nowhere else in the world is this Ibaadah
possible.

We should try to complete as many Tawaafs as possible, but
within our capacity. Keep in mind that Allah Ta’ala does not look at the
quantity of our deeds, Allah Ta’ala looks at the quality, the sincerity and the
attention we give to our Ibaadah,

Care should be taken not to inconvenience anyone, not even
oneself. Tawaaf should be done with humility, dignity and concentration – and
should not be done in haste or rushing and dashing through the crowd – as is sometimes
seen on the Mataaf.

There should be no worldly activities brought into the
Tawaaf or into the Masjid – whether Masjidul Haraam or Masjidun Nabawi
(Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) - for example: making calls on one’s cellphone,
taking photographs, videoing, engaging in idle and unnecessary conversations,
etc. This is totally unacceptable
behaviour in any Masjid.To a
greater degree, it will be reprehensible in the Masjidul Haraam and Masjidun
Nabawi (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam).

Keep well occupied reciting the Qur’aan Sharief – with the
aim to complete at least one Khatam during one’s stay. Engage in Dua as much as
possible – for almost every place in the Haramayn Shareefayn is a place of
acceptance of Dua. One should complete one's prescribed Dhikr and try to also
bring in the following Tasbeehaat daily:

100 x
Istighfaar

100 x
Durood Sharief

100 x 3rd
Kalima,

100 x 4th
Kalima

100 x

All of these Tasbeehaat are very greatly loved by Allah Jalla
Jalaaluhu and the rewards are consequently also very great.

Together with the various Ibaadaat that are engaged in, while
in the Haramayn Shareefayn, we have to preserve and safeguard the Noor
accumulating in the heart and guard the rewards which are multiplying in our
spiritual bank accounts. It is therefore necessary to abstain from all sins –
and special attention needs be given to controlling the gaze - amidst the
thousands of strange women and men who are also present inside and outside the
Haram.

May Allah Ta’ala grant us the Taufeeq of good, and
appreciation for the time we spend in the Haramayn Shareefayn.

When anything is purchased and brought from
Madina Munawwarah, then a lover of Nabi (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) will naturally appreciate and value it – no
matter how small or how cheap. Why? …Because it has a connection with the city
of the Beloved (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam).
It has been touched by the air of Madina Shareef, or it has been produced from
the blessed land of Madina Shareef - and this is what has made it special.

The residents of Madina Shareef are the
neighbours of Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) and they are the envy of the heavens, because
they have such extreme physical closeness to Nabi (Sallallaahu
‘alayhi wasallam). They are the envy of all of us as well – for we
too desire the honour of being in such proximity to Nabi (Sallallaahu
‘alayhi wasallam),
at all times.

Allah Ta’ala, in His infinite Mercy and Grace,
does not want to deprive anyone of us of this blessing of being close to
Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam),
so He has given us a simple recourse to always being near to our Beloved
Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam). This nearness is attained via our Nisbat
with the A`maal of Madina Munawwarah – i.e. the Sunnah (way of life) of
Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam).

Our
value, in the sight of Allah Ta’ala, is dependent on our relationship with His
beloved Rasul (Sallallaahu
‘alayhi wasallam).

Allah Ta’ala has informed us of this in the
Qur`aan Shareef :

“Say (O Muhammad (Sallallaahu
‘alayhi wasallam)) : If you
do love Allah,follow me. Allah shall love you and forgive you your sins; And Allah is
Most-Forgiving,Very-Merciful.”

[Surah Aal-Imraan 3 : 31]

And my Shaykh had presented
the same message in poetry form:

The
footprints of the Beloved of Allah,

Nabi
Muhammad (Sallallaahu
‘alayhi wasallam),

is
the road to Jannat;

The
Sunnats of Rasulullah(Sallallaahu
‘alayhi wasallam)

connect one with Allah Ta’ala .

It is a misconception that a person’s repeated performance of Hajj and
Umrah and repeated visits to Madina Munawwarah is to be taken as the yardstick
of piety. The yardstick of piety is not how many Umrahs or Hajj, a person has
made.

The present day scenario is saddening to say the least, since Umrah and
Hajj have become a holiday, a shopping spree, and a “tour” for the majority. …The deficit is in “sincerity of
intention”. As has been said: “The
visitors are many, but the pilgrims are scarce.”

For many, these trips are now for business and trade. And for others,
each trip is another “feather” in their caps – which must be made known and
announced to the world. There are those that boast of their yearly trips,
whether for Hajj or ‘Umrah, or both, updating us on the number of visits they
make to Makkah Mukarramah and Madina Munawwarah.

We have heard people say : “I have
made Umrah/Hajj for the past 20 or 30 years and have never missed out one.”…Yet, the reality is that we cannot
count our Umrahs and Hajj. We cannot say how many have been performed, because
we do not know how many have been accepted. Those Umrahs and Hajj that are
accepted are the only ones that we can count. And we will only come to know of
their acceptance on the Day of Judgement.

Despite the frequent visits to the Haramayn Sharifayn, there is
generally not much improvement in our spirituality. If we have not brought a
reformation in our lives: If we have not fulfilled the rights of people, if we
have not returned to people that which is their due, if we have not asked
forgiveness from those whom we have wronged, if we are not punctual with
Salaah, and if our zaahir (external condition) and our baatin (internal
condition) do not reflect the purity and spirituality that come with visits to
the Haramayn Sharifayn, then we should truly be concerned as to the quality and
acceptance of our Hajj and Umrah.

I have mentioned many times that the “maal” (wealth/material goods) of
Madina Munawwarah is not what is available in its market places, bazaars and
shopping complexes. Unfortunately, when we visit Madina Munawwarah, then more
often than not, the objective is the “maal” of Madina Sharief.

The majority of those visiting Madina Munawwarah forget the purpose of
their visit once their gazes fall on the commercial centres of Madina Sharief.
Many who do know about the material commodities being sold, plan in advance –
that there will be an exchange or purchase of gold, there will be this
commodity and that commodity bought. …Whilst in Madina Sharief, the talk is the
latest technology, the cellphones, the best gold shops, cloak shops, and so
forth.

The
intention and pursuit becomes the “maal” of Madina and not the A`maal of Madina Munawwarah.
And this is how our stay of seven or eight days passes : “mauled by the malls” . Our Imaan, our love for Rasulullah (Sallallaahu
‘alayhi wasallam), our time, our energy, our money are “mauled” in
the obsession we have of shopping. We forget, and sometimes we do not even care
to give any kind of attention or express any kind of appreciation to our host,
Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) because we are so caught up in material
purchases.

Instead
of filling up the pockets of our hearts with the wealth of the Love for
Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) and
with the wealth of his noble characteristics, we fill up suitcases and
suitcases – many a time, even purchasing more suitcases – for filling up the
material commodities of Madina Sharief.

I am not saying that it is Haraam to shop there. It will be meritorious
if a person makes purchases with the intention to support the businessmen and
traders of Madina Munawwarah.

The Hadith also makes mention that when we are on a journey, we should
bring back gifts for our families no matter how small or how cheap – because
there is always an expectation from those who remain behind, at home, that the
person on a journey will remember his loved ones and bring back something for
them – but this should not be misconstrued.

Shopping is not meant to be
the “be all and end all” – especially of our visit to the Haramayn Sharifayn.
The person should purchase a few gift items a day or two before departure. And
the gifts that we should be appreciating most are the Duas of the Haramayn
Sharifayn, Salaam at the Raudha Mubarak, the Zam Zam of Makkah Mukarramah and
the Kajoor (dates) of Madina Munawwarah.

Almost everything else is made in China, Taiwan and Japan and can be
purchased anywhere else in the world, including our own country, or city or
town. However, the Haramayn Sharifayn
offer a different “market” where such spiritual bounties are obtained, which
cannot be obtained anywhere else in the world.

The
true lovers of Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) make this
trip to fill their hearts and lives with the ‘A`maal’ of Rasulullah (Sallallaahu
‘alayhi wasallam) - with his beautiful Seerat and Soorat, with
his kindness, forgiveness, mercy, compassion, generosity, abstinence and the
treasure trove that we know of his noble life.

The visit should be purely to visit Rasulullah (Sallallaahu
‘alayhi wasallam), to make Salaam to our Beloved Nabi (Sallallaahu
‘alayhi wasallam), to spend time in his Mubarak city and glean
from our visit, those virtues, those qualities that will be the medium of
bonding with him and being the means of our own value increasing in the sight
of Allah Ta’ala.

If
all the visitors to Madina Sharief were to return home with the true “maal” and
wealth of Madina Sharief – i.e. the Akhlaaq (character) and A`maal of Nabi (Sallallaahu
‘alayhi wasallam),
then the value of the entire Ummah will increase.

The Sahabah were the “stars” of mankind – guides and leaders for all
nations and people. They had to thus make the great sacrifice of leaving Madina
Sharief to spread the religion of Islam. Despite them being distanced from
their beloved Madina Sharief, they
traveled with the Nisbat of Madina Sharief. This was the key to their
success. Wherever they went, there was progress and success.

On the other hand, we put price tags on ourselves by looking at our
material possessions. What are material
possessions? …Fanaa (annihilation and destruction) will come over them.

Let us introspect and consider our value in the light of the Nisbat that
we have with Madina Sharief. …The reality is that we have discarded our nisbat
with Madina Sharief, and as such our value has decreased. Today, the Ummah as a
whole is being sold very cheaply in the markets of the kuffaar. This is our own
doing and downfall.

If
we have to re-connect with the way of life, the actions and characteristics of
Nabi (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam), then most definitely, we will fetch a high price in Allah Ta’ala’s
esteem, and we will be successful in both worlds.

1.One should safeguard one’s
gaze. In other words,
do not look at any man or woman with lustful gazes. People from all around the
world are present at the Holy Sanctuaries of the Haramayn Sharifayn. Therefore,
one should always be alert and on one’s guard not to glance at any
ghayr-mahram, even from the corner of one’s eyes.

When leaving home, one should leave with this firm
intention : ‘I will not cast evil glances
at anyone.’ Over and over again, one should renew this intention in one’s
heart or else the nafs will involve one in casting evil glances.

2.One should safeguard one’s
heart. Meaning one
should not entertain evil desires in the heart. Neither should one derive
unlawful pleasure from fantasizing about unlawful beauties. Similarly, one
should not recall and reminisce past sins and derive pleasure therefrom. If,
however, evil thoughts do come into the heart and mind, then one should
remember one important point:

If thoughts come on their own, then there is no sin in
this. However, if one intentionally fantasizes and brings evil thoughts into
the heart, then this is a sin. Occupying oneself in evil thoughts and fantasies
is sinful.

3.Physically, one should not come close to any ghayr-mahram or handsome
lads (such lads who are beardless and one is sexually attracted to them).

4.One should abstain from unnecessary conversation. Busy oneself with useful
and beneficial activities such as Tawaaf, Tilawah, Durood Shareef. If one feels
tired, then one should look at the Ka`bah Shareef. (This is also an Ibaadah and
a means of attaining spiritual reward).

5.One should not debate over controversial issues, neither should one get
into arguments.

6.During Tawaaf, one should not look at the Ka`bah Shareef. When addressing
the King, it is disrespectful to stare at him.

7.If one’s glances unintentionally fall upon a ghayr-mahram woman and the
heart becomes attracted to her, then meditate upon the fact that she is the
guest of Allah Ta’ala and due to this she is more worthy of respect than one’s
own mother.

If one’s gaze unintentionally falls upon her in Madina Munawwarah,
then meditate that she is the guest of Allah Ta’ala as well as the guest of
Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi waSallam).

Similarly, if one’s gaze unintentionally falls upon a
young lad and the heart becomes attracted towards him then one should meditate
that he is more worthy of respect than even one’s father. This is because, in
Makkah Mukarramah, those who are there are the special guests of Allah Ta’ala,
and in Madina Munawwarah, they are the special guests of Allah Ta’ala as well
as Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi waSallam).

8.If one becomes inconvenienced in any way in the Haramayn Shareefayn, then
one should never complain. Imagine that those who are in the Haramayn are
princes and royalty. All they have to do is perform one Tawaaf and ask for
forgiveness from Allah Ta’ala. We are not even equal to the dust which settles upon
their feet.

9.If the food is not to one’s
liking, then one should not complain about it. One person had complained,
saying : “The yoghurt of Madina
Munawwarah is too sour, whereas the yoghurt of India is sweet.” He saw
Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi waSallam) in his dream telling him immediately
leave Madina Shareef. One should
perceive everything of the Haramayn with eyes of respect, reverence and love.
One should not find faults.

10.One should consider oneself a servant and not one who deserves to be
served. One should be a means of giving comfort to others and consider serving
them one’s honour.

11.When the gaze falls upon
the Ka`bah Shareef for the first time, then one should ask Allah Ta’ala to
grant His Sublime Being. Ask Allah Ta’ala to grant you Himself. Supplicate to
Allah Ta’ala, saying : ‘O Allah Ta’ala, I
am unworthy and underserving but You are Kareem, You are the One Who grants to
even the unworthy.’

12.If one happens to see a dream then one should not mention it to anyone
other than one’s Shaykh. If one’s Shaykh is not there, then one should mention
it to a caring friend who has understanding of Deen. One should not mention one’s
dream to just anybody.

13.Those who are performing Hajj and Umrah should take great care that even
one breath should not be taken in the disobedience of Allah Ta’ala.

May Allah Ta’ala grant us all the ability to practise upon the
above-mentioned guidelines.

Friday, 18 April 2014

Once, on viewing the Mataaf
from one of the upper levels of Masjidul Haraam, the scene of thousands of
people engaged in Tawaaf, brought to my mind the following analogy:

The sight of those thousands
of people moving around the Baitullah reminded me of the wash cycles of the
washing machine.

And indeed, we find that
parallels can be drawn between the Tawaaf and the work of the washing machine.

The purpose of the washing
machine is to wash our clothes clean. …We place dirty clothes into the drum of
the machine and we add the detergent, bleach and softner. With a press of the Start
button, the drum starts to spin, water pours in and the machine does its work
of extracting the dirt, repeatedly, until the final rinse.

Once the drum stops, the
clothes are taken out, hung up to dry, and when dry, they are ironed – with the
end result being well pressed, crease-free, clean clothing.

Tawaaf has some resemblance
to the purpose and work of the washing machine; except that we are not washing
dirty clothes; rather we are washing our hearts – our spiritual hearts.

Like dirty clothes are placed
into the washing machine, we place our dirty hearts into the Tawaaf – hearts
which are stained with all kinds of sins, including the ‘tough’ stains of major
sins. …What is not found in this heart? So much has soiled and spoilt our
hearts : Pride, Jealousy, Malice, Vanity,
Hubbe Dunya, Hubbe Jah and the deep, dirty stains of lustful gazes, backbiting,
and other such evils have blotted our hearts, have smeared and blackened them.

Before washing badly stained
clothing, a stain remover is used. Accordingly,
the stain remover of regret and remorse over our sins, and the sincere
intention that what is past being really past, is applied to our hearts.

The Hajre Aswad can be
likened to the ‘START’ button. The intention of Tawaaf and the raising of the
hands with ‘Bismillah Allahu Akbar
wa-lillahil Hamd’, signify the commencement of the Tawaaf. Simultaneously the
washing of the heart commences. The detergents of Istighfaar, Durood Shareef,
and Zikrullah, then contribute to the cleansing of the heart.

Just as water gushes into the
drum, Allah Ta’ala’s Tajalli, His Special Mercy and Noor, which is cascading
onto the Baitullah, drench those who are in Tawaaf. These are the ones who are
the first to benefit and they benefit more than all others. Their hearts too are
being soaked with this Noor, similar to how the dirty clothes become soaked
with water.

The detergent of sincere
Istighfaar and Taubah wash the heart. …The amount of detergent a person needs
for washing his clothes, depends on the size of the load. So if our hearts are heavily loaded with sins, then naturally, the demand
will be of plenty of Taubah and Istighfaar.

If we want our hearts to be
white, the bleach of Zikrullah is added to the Tawaaf, just as bleach is used
when a person wants his white clothes to be as white as possible.

If we want our hearts to be
soft, then the softner of Durood Shareef is also released into the washing of
our hearts.

Each round of Baitullah is
similar to the wash and rinses that the dirty clothing go through for a good,
clean wash. Round and round, each cycle is completed with Istighfaar and
Taubah, Durood Shareef, Dua and Zikrullah. Together with that Tajalli, the dirt
of the heart is being extracted, until the final rinse and spin – the 7th
round. Now the heart is clean and purified.

…If we entered the Tawaaf
with full concentration on Allah Ta’ala, and complete focus of the great
privilege of Tawaaf of Baitullah – which is in reality Tawaaf of Rabbul-Bait,
then we will experience that beautiful Noor and that Tajalli.

Naturally, for the full
benefit of Tawaaf, the gaze has to be
controlled. If a person has ‘khauf-e-Khuda’ and he has ‘Azmat’ of
Baitullah, he will not raise his glance towards strange women; he will not cast
an evil gaze – in the Tawaaf and out of Tawaaf. …If during Tawaaf, the person is engaging in lustful gazes and other sins,
there will be just an accumulation of darkness and dirt.

Once the heart is washed, it
is taken out of the Tawaaf – clean and bright and white. After completion of
the 2 Rakaats of Waajibut Tawaaf, the person proceeds to the Multazam, where he
places his chest against the wall. That pressing of his chest, is akin to
pressing and ironing the “creases” of his heart; similar to how clothes are ironed, making
them ‘crease-free’.

The tears shed at the
Multazam are like droplets of sweet musk which now fragrance that heart.
SubhanAllah, what a sparkling heart, emitting the sweetest of scents… Whilst we
will sense it, Insha-Allah - we will have to thereafter look after this
cleanliness and this sparkle.

We have to make sure that we
fulfill the rights of that Taubah, by making amends on our shortcomings in
Huqooqullah (the rights of Allah Ta’ala) and Huqooqul Ibaad (the rights of the
servants of Allah Ta’ala). Whatever is outstanding of Salaah, Zakaah, fasts,
will have to be made up for, and whatever is due to people will have to be
returned to them, or forgiveness secured from them.

May Allah Ta’ala grant us all
the Taufeeq of making such Tawaafs, which only increase our hearts in purity
and whiteness, which increase that Qurb (proximity) to the Owner of the House.